CV ride June 2 - Eastward Ho!

Hi Gang!





Sorry I've been quiet here for a couple of weeks. My daughter came home from college and my computer time has been a little abbreviated as she hunts down her friends and a summer job.

Here's a reminder about the weather: it is likely to be pretty warm. Bring two water bottles and/or a hydration pack. We'll have sag support every 10 miles or so, but you can easily need more than one bottle in that time. We've not had much warm weather yet this season! Expect to feel slow, sweaty, and tired until we acclimate a little bit. That's normal.

Another reminder - those of you who are behind in base miles (miles spent riding the bike, specifically) should move heaven and earth to catch up as best you can. If your general fitness is in good shape (i.e. if you've been exercising and the spin classes don't leave you totally wiped), you can do wonders for your cycling by committing to a slow, short ride EVERY DAY for a couple of weeks. Start with 5 miles/day - something you can do after dinner. Doesn't have to be fast, and the idea is to do just enough at a, um, sitting that you start to toughen up without being stressed or sore.



As you gain cycling-specific fitness, you may find that some of those aches and pains, especially in the upper body, start to disappear. Also, don't forget to stretch and change positions every few minutes on the bike. If you do that, you'll stay fresher, longer.


See y'all on Saturday! The map and elevation chart for the ride can be found at: http://www.mapmyride.com/ride/united-states/or/portland/436618275 if you want to get a previw of what you're in for. I'll bring route sheets. We're meeting at the Sellwood Grand Central Bakery; be sure to be there early if you're expecting a pastry.

Sandy

Sandy's Saturday Century

Another week, another century.
I turned the Community Vision training ride into a century by riding there, and riding back, with an assist to Russell for making a wrong turn that caused me to make ANOTHER wrong turn that tacked on the extra 5 miles that made it a legit century.
The AM was C-O-L-D. I didn't think I'd have to start a ride in May at 34 degrees F, but there you have it. The ride over to the start at Orenco Station was uneventful, and the coffee was welcome.
We rode to Roy via Mountaindale - not a bad jaunt overall, and everyone was in good spirits.
A few of us stayed afterwards to have lunch at Swagat which was MOST EXCELLENT. They had a lunch buffet going, so I tried a little of everything, including the curried goat. I wasn't sure how I felt about goat, but it was tasty - like lamb but with a little more....oomph.
After lunch I started pedalling home, rather gingerly due to all of the good food in my belly. I modified my goals for the return trip to: less than 2 hours total riding time, and not letting the West Portland hills (quite literally in this case) get my goat. So I decided to finally find the Highway 26 bike path, which is supposed to be a flattish way home. Plus, I've never met a bike path I didn't like, right? It took me a surprising amount of juking around to actually find the thing, which miffed me. Seems to me that it could be marked from the transit center. Once on, it was pretty well marked, though, and it dumped me out at the entrance to the zoo.
I wound through the Arboretum and found Kingston without much fuss, which Susan had told me was my route outta there, and headed down into town. I took the Burnside Bridge which kept me out of most of the 5 de Mayo crowd, and (conveniently) took me past Citibikes, where I found nothing of any particular note other than a quick break.
Just a couple blocks past Citibikes, I ran into (almost literally) a Shift2Bikes moving party. They were putting the mattress and box springs onto a bike trailer when I rode by. I stopped to ask a few questions, which of course made me look like a volunteer, which I had to politely decline on account of some accumulating goat issues (gotta get home....). But it was really cool, even though I have to say that I think that heavy hauling is what internal combustion engines ought to be reserved for.

Other than that, nothing of particular note except that I have FINALLY bowed to convention and gotten a cyclometer:
It works fine, I guess. I put it on my commute bike, which is a Fuji Absolute DX (flat bar road bike with fairly standard geometry and a carbon fork). I have discovered some things that I suppose I kinda knew....

• First, I go slower up hills and faster down hills. But I don't go quite as slow up hills as I'd feared, or quite as fast down them as I'd hoped.
• There are areas on my commutes that I'd thought were flat that are really slight up or downhills, and that really affects my speed, at least in the moment.
• I watch the cyclometer too much. I really suspected that I would, which is why I've been resisting. People tell me that I'll learn to tune it out.
  
• I ride faster when it's chiding me. I have mentally set my "where's your pride, girl???" limit at 6.0 mph going up Thompson Road, and lo-and-behold, I can deliver on that. Next month, maybe 7. Or at least 6.5.
  

In the past 9 days I've ridden 245 miles on the commute bike and an even 100 on the road bike (at the Monster Cookie). I guess now that I have a computer I've got some numbers to throw around.

See y'all up the road,
Sandy

Core Training for Cyclists

I can't over-stress the importance of core strength in cycling. Your arms are for balance and steering, not for holding you up on the bike. In an ideal world, that's your core's work - keeping your trunk stable and strong on the bike so that your neck and shoulders don't get sore. For many of us, our core gets neglected. We think about lifting weights to train our arms and legs, but often we forget the vital linkages in between.

You can significantly strengthen your core over several weeks. Here's a link to a recent article in Bicycling magazine that describes a very effective abdominal workout. I've been doing it more or less faithfully for a month or so and I can vouch for it! It doesn't take much by way of equipment, other than a stability ball (if you don't have one, the two exercises that call for it can be easily modified), and it only takes about 10 minutes a day - a small investment of time for a nice payoff later.

Weekly recap

Hi Gang!
Congrats to all Monster Cookie finishers! I had a great time. I started from the first rest stop, at about 5:30 AM - shortly before sunup - and was treated to a coyote howl-in! Moments later the local roosters took up the call, and I was outta there.
Weather was perfect - or danged close - so about 1500 people came out. Amazing variety of shapes, sizes, and configurations of bikes.
The Community Vision team rode well! Everyone has progressed SO MUCH from last year. You looked strong, and I felt proud for you.
Wednesday night we had a great spin class. If you've not been coming to these you're missing out on quite a treat. The instructor, Willie, is VERY good and totally focused on our needs as a team. Between the mid-week spin classes and the weekend rides you'll be up to speed in no time!
Speaking of mid-week - who's wanting more time in the saddle during the week? There will be a lot more opportunities to ride in the evenings coming up.
And - Reach the Beach will be here before we know it. Who's in??? We need to figure out how to arrange transportation back after this event. Let's get the wheel rolling.....
Weather outlook for Saturday keeps improving - hopefully they're right and we'll have a pleasant ride!
See you Saturday,
Sandy

Second Community Vision Ride Posted!

Hi Gang!
Here's a link to the May 5th ride. We're going to Roy, then Verboort. Russ - sausages are optional this year, though I'm sure the wildlife enjoyed the extra protein. This ride comes in at just under 40 miles, and there is one reasonably hilly portion (Clapshaw Hill). There is an option for those who don't want to do the hilly portion just yet, or want fewer miles. I'll show you on Saturday, but the jist of it is that instead of turning onto Clapshaw you'll just keep going south on Highway 47 until you reach Kemper/Osterman Road.

We're meeting just outside the Starbucks in Orenco Station. Orenco Station is MAX accessible, so if you don't want to drive to Orenco you've got options! Please-oh-please be there in time to order the coffee you need (you know who you are, and you know you'll be tempted into the Starbucks for a cappucino and/or a scone...)

I will also be doing a demo on how to do a quick (2-5 minute) safety check on your bike. Expect this demo to start PROMPTLY at 8:01. You should do a safety check before each ride! Things change on your bike, sometimes suddenly and sometimes gradually. Parts can wear out or work their way loose, cables and chains can need lube and tires can need air. You are putting yourself at unnecessary risk of having to finish your ride the SAG vehicle - or far worse, in an ambulance - if you start your ride without checking, just to be sure.

And here's a quick reminder on what you need - the basics - for our group rides. A short list, really:

1) Yourself and your best attitude, ready to ride after a good night's sleep.

2) An approved helmet.

3) A bike that has passed the safety check mentioned above.

4) A water bottle (two would be even better once the weather starts to heat up and we're doing longer rides). You may want to experiment with carbohydrate/electrolyte replacement beverages (like Gatorade, Cytomax, etc) which help keep you well-hydrated. But many people do great on rides like this with plain water plus the food that's available at our SAG stops.

5) A spare tube that fits your tires, along with everything you need to fix a flat: spare tube, patch kit (what if you get a SECOND flat??? it CAN happen), tire levers (for mounting and dismounting tires), and a way to inflate the tire (either a CO2 cartridge or a pump). Don't know what size tube you need? Don't know how to fix a flat! ASK - don't wait to be out in the middle of nowhere and having to figure it out on your own.

6) A means of communication should you get separated from the group - either a cell phone or enough change to make a phone call. We don't expect anyone to get lost, we really try hard to prevent that from happening, but we did lose a couple people temporarily last year....

7) Clothing for the expected weather. Dress in layers so that you can stay comfortable. Unless you KNOW that the weather is going to be grand, do bring a light jacket along. If you need it, you're smart. If you don't need it, you're prepared. If you forget it, you're.....sorry.

On the topic of bike clothing - LOTS of people asked me about bike shorts last year. Trust me on this - you want padded bike shorts. Even if you are tough as nails, other types of clothing that you might wear for cycling always seem to have seams or creases RIGHT THERE. There are a lot of decent shorts out on the market. Prices range from $30 to (I am not making this up!) $300. You can do very well at the low end of this range. Fit is important. Key points: the body of a lycra short should be snugged up to your skin - not baggy. If there are any seams in the chamois (that's what the padding is called - say it like "shammy" 'cause it's French) they should not dig into your anatomy or hit you in the same places that the saddle will. And the elastic at the waist and thighs should stretch but not dig into you. If you hate the feel of something binding around your waist, try "bib shorts" - basically overalls for bikewear. Another rule of thumb: once you find a pair of shorts that works for you, get a second pair just like 'em. That way you should always have a clean pair at the ready.

I'll see many friends, new and old, at the Monster Cookie tomorrow. Looking forward to that!
The weather looks to be about perfect for biking - not too warm or too cool, not so sunny that we have to keep SPF on the forefront of our thoughts the whole way, and probably not going to rain! Should be an enjoyable day! Try to keep drinking between rest stops. You should empty a water bottle between one rest stop and the next, then fill it up when you get there, drink some, and top it off before you leave. Oh - and leave some room for the cookies.

First CV ride of the season!

Hi gang! The first Community Vision ride of the season is coming this Saturday! We're going from Ibach Park to Champoeg and back. Since it's early, we're takin' the low road. But you already knew that. Here's a link to the route map.